my tanks are heavily planted. the filters are there just to make the water clear. i also have a sponge over all the intakes that keep most big waste out. havent had much reduced efficiency in my canisters even after months.

think your going to harm the water quality before the filter. as long as its getting some fresh water to keep the motor cool it should be fine.

fish_4_all you make a very good point. all our tanks are different we are all trying to do different things. some people fill it with bio media others with sponges. from the tanks i have seed with polyfill floss i think it polishes the water really good and a good effective place for bacteria to grow.

I would think that having a permenant place for the bacteria to grow might be a good idea also though. Removing the filter floss all the time could lead to ammonia spikes. That is the main reason why people use bioballs and Boichem Stars and such.

I also like the XP3 but have found that on a smaller tank, the XP2 is enough and is just as easy to care for. When I first got my XP3 I was worried about the right media because I had always usewd a HOB filter and was used to the typical regime. What I have found is that I can use almost anything as the medium for biologicals. If it has a surface, it will work as a biological. If it has fine passages like in a sponge or filter floss, it will remove solids. I have not added any carbon yet because I have not had any indication that I need it. The one very obvious feature of my canisters was not obvious to me until I reverted to a HOB for a smaller aquarium. I had forgotten what all the water racket came from until I had a new waterfall going on the back of a tank. The not so obvious feature is how quiet the canister is. They are also very flexible. If something fits in a basket of your filter, it may be filter medium or it may be useless but the filter will keep circulating the water through the rest of your media.